Show HN: How much is your domain name worth? A new site for domain appraisals

Show HN: How much is your domain name worth? A new site for domain appraisals(peerideas.com)

18 points by shaggy8871 5 years ago | 11 comments

shaggy8871 5 years ago |

Hey all,

I've always had an interest in domain names, and often found myself buying some for side projects that typically never got built. I recently became interested in the domain name aftermarket, and joined a few communities to learn how to trade them effectively.

According to industry wisdom, there are specific ways of valuing a domain name. For instance, .com is generally considered more value than other top-level domains like .net and .org. Short, catchy brands and single words are also highly prized.

The industry has produced a wonderful range of automated tools you can use to value your domains, using a range of signals like search traffic, similar names sold in the past, whether the same name has been bought across a range of top level domains, etc.

And while these are extremely helpful, what's missing (in my opinion) is the subjective view. Some domain names, especially brandable ones, can't be valued using computer models. Sometimes only humans can do the job.

The site is free, but you have to vote before you can submit your own domains for others to vote on. I hope this keeps things fair for everyone.

I came up with PeerIdeas to scratch my own itch, and since launch I've had both positive and negative feedback (as can be expected). However I've enjoyed the journey immensely, and I invite you to give it a try if it meets your needs too.

boring_twenties 5 years ago |

I feel it's a little weird for skipping a poll to cost a coin. For example, I was presented with the following domain:

WhoSus.com

    If you're a fan of the game Among Us, this would probably make sense to you.

I've never heard of Among Us, so it seems reasonable that I should skip this poll. I don't want to give up a coin though, so I guess I'll just vote anyway.

shaggy8871 5 years ago | |

Thanks for the feedback, I’m still playing with the coin system. A single coin isn’t too difficult to get back, but I did want to discourage skipping.

You can also just move on without ignoring but it may come up again.

todd3834 5 years ago |

Is $5k+ too low for the high end? It seems like people always think their domain is worth six figures. They just have to wait for the right moment. I don’t think people voting would be as irrational though. If someone were to post x.com I hope they could have a higher limit on the poll.

Great idea and execution! I answered enough questions so I could submit 3 for polls.

shaggy8871 5 years ago | |

Thanks for trying it out!

I’m sure there are many who think their domains are worth tens or even hundreds of thousands. However most domains sell in the low range and only a few sell for $1k and above.

I had an idea to create a separate, high end version of the poll for those who genuinely have high value domains, but I’d probably need a lot more traction with the upper echelons of the industry before I could get to that point.

toyg 5 years ago |

Fun idea, but i can’t shake the feeling that I’m doing free work for domain speculators...

shaggy8871 5 years ago | |

Thanks! You have to own the domain before I list it (although verifying it can be tricky), so hopefully we don’t see too much of that.

alex_g 5 years ago | | |

Personally I would find this really helpful when evaluating a domain purchase. I can't tell you the number of times I've checked for the availability of pretty high quality domain, seen it's available but there's no way to inquire without putting in a (non-binding) offer and wondered what a reasonable offer would be.

alex_g 5 years ago |

This is cool! It'd be fun if you threw some from flippa in there and then revealed the asking price after voting.

shaggy8871 5 years ago | |

That was one of my original ideas. Turns out there’s already an app for that called the Name Game by NameBio.